The Wayward Princess
by LDEJRuff
Summary: I wanted to categorize this under Cartoons-Timon & Pumbaa, but it wasn't listed. So, instead, it's categorized under Movies-Lion King, since Timon & Pumbaa is a spin-off. This fanfiction tells what happened to Princess Tatiana during her being captured by a cobra in the Timon & Pumbaa episode "Once Upon a Timon". Along the way, she meets characters from the films and the spin-off.
1. Chapter 1: Metamorphosis

_The Wayward Princess_

written by LDEJRuff

Chapter 1: Metamorphosis

This fan fiction tells what happened to Princess Tatiana during her being captured by the cobra in "Once Upon a Timon".

The story began long ago in an ordinary meerkat colony. The back gate was unprotected (Timon Berkowitz abandoned his guard post so he could get ready for his date with Tatiana, the Duke Meerkat's daughter). This was the perfect opportunity for a cobra to slither into the colony. The cobra broke open the gate, scaring many of the locals. Eventually, it slithered to the Duke's castle, where Fred, who was guarding it, slept on the job.

"State your name and purpose for visit," Fred said, thinking the cobra was a local.

The cobra snapped the helmet off Fred's head with its tongue.

"Hey!" Fred shouted, irritated. He then saw the cobra, staring at him menacingly. "Holy…oh…" he said, voice shaking, and then ran away screaming.

Inside her room, Tatiana was busy painting a lovely picture with bugs in a cornucopia. The cobra broke open the door, capturing her with its tail, and slithered out of the colony with her unconscious. However, Tatiana woke up, miles away from the colony, wondering what happened.

"Huh? Where am I?" she began. "What's going on?" Then, she saw that she was wrapped around the cobra's long body.

Eventually, she succeeded in breaking free of the wrappings, and started running back to the colony. The cobra began chasing her.

"Yes!" Tatiana said. "I'm coming home, father! Your sugarplum is coming home!"

However, she stopped short while being trapped in a net. A hunchbacked man picked up the net and gave a happy chuckle.

"At last," he said. "I, Dr. Cagliostro, have collected a specimen to test my Metamorphitron with. Soon, my little weasel," he continued, to Tatiana, "you are going to become beautiful."

"But," Tatiana started, "I already _am_ beautiful."

"Not to worry, my lovely," Dr. Cagliostro replied. "I will make you even _more_ beautiful."

That night, while inside his laboratory in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Cagliostro called to his assistant. "Torgo, bring the lovely subject in."

His assistant, Torgo, who looked like a gargantuan creature with a tooth-shaped head and bolts on his neck, carried Tatiana into the room. "Torgo obey," he said.

"Well, little one," Dr. Cagliostro began. "Are you ready to become even more beautiful?"

"But Doc," Tatiana started. "I really have to get home. My father, the Duke, will be so worried if he finds me missing."

"No matter, my dear," Dr. Cagliostro replied. "Once you are transformed into an even-more beautiful creature in my Metamorphitron, your father would be surprised to see how more beautiful you've become. Torgo," he said to his assistant, "put her into the Metamorphitron."

Torgo does so, and the Metamorphitron activates. Lights flashed inside the machine, and Tatiana's screams can be heard inside it. Once the process was done, the door opened. Dr. Cagliostro then looked dumbfounded at what he saw; drops of sweat rolling down his face.

"What?" Tatiana asked.

"Little one," he started, "you're not going to like what you see in the mirror."

Tatiana does look in the mirror, and she saw that she had become an ugly creature with inverted pupils in her eyes and a snake-like body. She was horrified at her appearance.

"Ahhhhh! I'm ugly!" she shouted. "Look what you did to me!"

The cobra, which had followed Dr. Cagliostro earlier, looked in through an open window, and was horrified to look at what Tatiana had just become. It then reacted in disgust and ran away.

"It's okay," Dr. Cagliostro said. "I can fix this. All I have to do is reverse the process, and you'll be back to your regular-old beautiful self."

"Well, you better," Tatiana said, menacingly.

"Torgo," he started, quickly, to his assistant, "put her back in the Metamorphitron."

"Torgo obey," Torgo replied. Then, he put Tatiana back into the Metamorphitron.

Dr. Cagliostro set the procedure to reverse. Finally, with the transformation over, Tatiana was back to her normal self.

"Next time," Tatiana started to Dr. Cagliostro, "try to be more careful when making things beautiful."

"Oh, I will," Dr. Cagliostro replied. "Torgo," he continued, "take her home."

"Yes, Dr." Torgo replied. And with that, Torgo went to the teleportation machine with Tatiana in hand and returned her to the Serengeti. As soon as she went to sleep, Torgo pressed a button on his watch and teleported back to the lab.

Little did Tatiana know that she was sleeping next to Timon and Pumbaa, who had just escaped the hyenas.

"That was close," Pumbaa said to Timon.

"Yeah," Timon replied. "The circle of life passed before my eyes."

"Well," Pumbaa continued, "I say we made a pretty good team, huh?"

"Yeah," Timon replied, hopping off of Pumbaa, "couldn't have done nothing without ya'."

The two of them looked at each other.

"Yep," Pumbaa responded.

"Uh-huh," Timon replied.

The two thought for a moment.

"I guess," Pumbaa began, "you'll be heading back to the meerkat colony now."

"Huh?" Timon wondered. "Oh, yeah. Back to the old colony." This lead to guilt on Timon's face.

"Well," Pumbaa started, "see ya'."

"Bye," Timon waved.

"Bye," Pumbaa replied.

Then, they went their separate ways, not knowing that Tatiana was sleeping next to a log.


	2. Chapter 2: Picture Perfect Wisdom

_The Wayward Princess_

written by LDEJRuff

Chapter 2: Picture Perfect Wisdom

A flash of light woke Tatiana up from her dreams.

"Success!" a gaunt voice rang.

The owner of the voice, a tall, muscular, pink-nosed, black haired man with a shaved face, wearing wildlife safari apparel and holding a camera that appears to be a gun and a photograph, was standing next to her.

"I, Congo Quint, the bravest, strongest, smartest photographer, have done it!" he said. "The perfect photo of a meerkat sleeping outside of her colony. The press will enjoy this!"

"A picture?" Tatiana asked, getting his attention. "May I see?"

"Agreement," Quint said, showing her the picture.

"Looks good," Tatiana said. "Maybe this photo will be part of a biology book, or a newspaper."

"Certainly," Quint said.

As Quint walked away with the photo, Tatiana began her search for an insect to eat for breakfast. However, she found three bugs. However, so did Pumbaa, who had never met Tatiana before.

"Well, another meerkat," Pumbaa said, noticing her. "That's the second one I met this week."

"Really? You met another one?" Tatiana asked. "What does that meerkat look like?"

"Oh, uh," Pumbaa started. "He has red hair, I believe, and he saved my life from a clan of hyenas last night. You know him?"

"Timon?" Tatiana thought. "What was he doing out of the colony?" She asked aloud.

"I don't know," Pumbaa answered. "But I believe he should be heading back to the colony, last I know."

"Oh," Tatiana said. "Well, maybe we should share."

She handed Pumbaa one of the bugs and kept the other two.

"Thanks," Pumbaa said.

"You're welcome," Tatiana replied.

"Oh," Pumbaa began, as Tatiana started to walk away. "You wouldn't leave without letting us know one another, would you?"

"Whoops, sorry," Tatiana apologized. "My name is Tatiana, and I should be heading back to my colony."

"Nice to meet you, Tatiana," Pumbaa said. "Mine's Pumbaa."

Then, Tatiana continued on her way with the two bugs while Pumbaa ate _his_.

A few minutes later, Tatiana noticed Timon asleep in an area around some dry grass. Without making a noise or waking him up, she quietly handed him one of her two bugs.

"Enjoy your breakfast, Timon," she whispered.

With that, she continued on her way to the colony.

A few seconds later, Timon woke up, and noticed the bug, but didn't notice anyone else.

"Hello?" Timon asked.

He looked around, trying to see if anyone was in the area.

"Whoever gave me this bug," he began, "thank you."

In the afternoon, Tatiana was feet away from home.

"Well, father, I finally made it home," she thought.

Before she could go further, a mandrill holding a stick of gourds appeared next to her.

"Hujambo, my friend," he said. "Where are you going?"

"Oh," Tatiana began to answer. "I'm going home to my colony. Father and the other meerkats must be worried that I'm missing."

"Oh, they're worried all right," the mandrill said. "But old Rafiki knows that they are more than worried. _Much_ more."

"Much more?" she repeated.

"Follow me," Rafiki said. "I'll show you."

Tatiana did follow him, leading to a pool of water.

"Look at what is happening at your home," Rafiki said, tapping his stick on the pool.

The pool revealed the Duke meerkat, heartbroken, and holding Tatiana's red-paint-stained Tiara.

"Why that's my father," Tatiana said. "But why does he look so sad?"

"He's sad because," Rafiki began to answer, "he and the rest of the colony believe you had died when you were taken by that cobra."

"Died?" Tatiana repeated. "That's silly. I'm not dead."

"Yes, I know," Rafiki said. "But look a little closer."

Tatiana took a close look at the pool and saw more images of sad, heartbroken meerkats.

"Oh, I see now," Tatiana realized. "They must be pretty sad."

"But," Rafiki began, "you were lucky enough to escape the cobra. And once you step into the colony gates, the colony will be happy, knowing you are still alive."

"You're right, Rafiki," Tatiana said. "I should return to the colony and let them know that I'm alive, especially my father."

"That's the spirit," Rafiki said. And as Tatiana continued her journey home, he continued, "Bahati nzuri! That means 'Good luck!'"

"Thanks!" Tatiana replied.

However, before Tatiana could continue, she noticed the cobra that kidnapped her, sleeping in the jungle. She backed away from the cobra, but unknowingly stepped on a twig, which snapped, waking the cobra up.

"Uh-oh," Tatiana said, gulping.


	3. Chapter 3: The Journey Home

_The Wayward Princess_

written by LDEJRuff

Chapter 3: The Journey Home

Timon and Pumbaa, who have started a newfound friendship, were laying and floating in a stream. They avoided a crocodile that was trying to eat them, though they didn't know it.

"This is the life, huh?" Pumbaa said to his new friend.

"Yeah," Timon replied. "I thought it was gonna be _lonely_ being alone.

The two came ashore to a patch of land.

"You know what, Timon?" Pumbaa began. "I think if I choose between anything in the world I could ever want and being your friend, I'd choose being your friend."

The two walked to a log, while Pumbaa was walking in the log and Timon walked atop it.

"Well, Pumbaa," Timon said, "I think I'd choose being your friend, too."

Pumbaa was out of the log, and Timon hopped onto his head.

"What'd you say, Timon?" Pumbaa asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Timon replied.

Later, while the two were still walking, they heard Tatiana screaming and stopped short.

"Ooh," Timon said, alarmed. "What was that?"

The two looked inside a lava well and saw that Tatiana was being coiled by the cobra, which had just caught her again.

"Oh, no!" Pumbaa thought in shock. "It's Tatiana!"

Timon gasped in relief. "She's still alive!" he said. He sighed and hugged a very serious Pumbaa.

"It starts," Pumbaa said.

"But, Pumbaa," Timon began, climbing onto his head. "That's the Duke's daughter. If we rescue her, I'll be accepted back into the meerkat colony and get married and be rich, and healthy, and happy, and not alone!"

"Good for _you_," Pumbaa said, sounding weepy.

However, Timon felt a little guilty, knowing that Pumbaa would be alone again.

"Don't you get it?" Timon said. "You can live at the colony, too. And best of all, no longer will you be an outcast!"

Knowing what Timon said, Pumbaa's expression changed from sad to happy. "YAAAAAAAAAAY!" he said.

"But," Timon began, "how are we going to rescue her?"

The two thought for a moment, and saw some rope that hadn't been used.

"I got an idea," Pumbaa said, then whispered something in Timon's ear.

The two distracted the cobra with a little bouncing. While the cobra followed Pumbaa, Timon was atop Tatiana, reaching his hands for hers. However, Timon's rope snapped, and the cobra took notice. Tatiana was behind Timon, and the two held each other tightly in fright.

"HAKUNA MATATA!" Pumbaa rang loudly while jumping into the well. He grabbed the two meerkats while the cobra was ready to strike.

When it did, it instead bit its body while slashing some lava around. It then looked up in defeat and annoyance, and then, feeling in pain from touching the hot lava, jumped out of the well. Holding its singed tail, the cobra found a lake and landed there. The cobra then felt relieved, that is, until it found out that it was in a crocodile-infested lake. This worried the cobra, and the crocs were getting ready to strike.

With things taken care of, Tatiana rode with Timon on Pumbaa.

"That was close," she said. "The circle of life was flashing before my eyes."

"Well," Timon began, "it's a good thing that Pumbaa and I came to save you."

"I'm glad that you did," Tatiana replied.

"Well, let's go home," Pumbaa said.

"_All_ of us," Timon finished.

"_All_ of us?" Tatiana repeated. "You mean Pumbaa's coming with us?"

"Yes," Timon answered.

"I didn't want to feel alone," Pumbaa said to Tatiana.

Little did they know that Rafiki was watching over the three of them from his tree. "Good luck to you three," he said. "Have a safe rest of the way home."

The three saw that the meerkat colony was not far away from them.

"I'm finally coming home, father," Tatiana thought.

"I'm coming back to the colony I was banished from," Timon thought, "with the Duke's daughter still alive."

"I'm going to have a home again," Pumbaa thought. "And I'm going to have some new friends by my side, too."

However, the two meerkats hid inside Pumbaa's hair, confusing him.

"You, there!" a voice rang, getting his attention. The owner of the voice, the front gate sentry meerkat, was holding his spear, readying it. "Meerkats only! Leave now!" he said.

Pumbaa backed away.

"Wait, stop!" Timon said, popping out of Pumbaa's hair. "He's a friend of mine."

"Timon?" the sentry said, realizing. "No! You are not welcome back into the colony! Get out! You are still banned!"

"Am I?" Timon said, reaching his hand for Tatiana's.

The princess poked her head out, shocking the sentry.

"Princess Tatiana!" he said. "You're still alive. But how?"

"Pumbaa and I rescued her," Timon answered. "We had bravery, cunning, and resource at our side to save her from the cobra."

"That is right," Tatiana continued. "Open the front gate so that Timon can be accepted back in."

"I would, your highness," the sentry replied. "However, I need to okay it with your father, first. He's still sad about your supposed murder."

"Let my father know that I'm still alive," Tatiana requested.

"I will," the sentry replied.

Inside the castle, the still-sad Duke meerkat was still inside Tatiana's bedroom and holding her tiara.

"Sire!" the sentry said, bursting into the room and getting the Duke's attention.

"This had better be important," the Duke said.

"It _is_, your majesty," the sentry replied. "Your daughter, Tatiana, is still alive, and she is standing in front of the colony gate with Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa. They have rescued her from the cobra!"

This news made the Duke very happy. "Let them in," he declared.

With that, the sentry returned to his post, and opened the gate, while the trumpeters gave a song of celebration. Pumbaa walked inside the colony, with Timon and Tatiana riding on him, while being greeted with happy cheering from the meerkats.

At the back gate, Fred heard cheering from inside. "What's going on in there?" he wondered.

He opened the back gate and saw Timon, Tatiana and Pumbaa inside the colony, and gasped, smiling.

"Princess Tatiana?" he said. "She's still alive! And Timon is with her! I guess it was a brave, cunning and resourceful rescue."

Back inside, Tatiana was pointing to the castle.

"There's my home, Pumbaa," she said. "Stop there so I can greet my father."

Pumbaa does so.

The castle gates open to reveal a very happy Duke. "Sugarplum!" he said.

"Father!" Tatiana said, hopping off of Pumbaa.

Both father and daughter gave each other a hug while Timon and Pumbaa shared smiles with each other.

And, we all know the rest…

The End


End file.
